Home, again.

I won't lie to you. I love the Mormon Church. My life would be SO MUCH EASIER right now if I weren't transitioning away from it. Those I love the most live good, Mormon lives. And my change in ideology can certainly drive wedges between us.

During my last semester at BYU-Idaho, I began attending the Unitarian Universalist Church in Idaho Falls.
There I found a community of people like me. Not gay, per se (though there are some), but people who recognized the ambiguous nature of the world. People who have likewise been left empty and questioning by answers provided by mainstream religion. And people who were actively seeking truth, but not necessarily expecting to find it.

And now I sing in the choir.

Because among the UUs, I feel at home, at peace, in fellowship.

A story about my first time at the UU: At the Idaho Falls UU, there's a portion of the service where members of the congregation can light candles of joy, concern or candles to mark important life milestones. So this lady goes up and talks about how she had lost her cat. She expressed her deep concern, and kept talking and talking, "... and I don't believe in prayer, so I won't ask you to pray for poor Baxter..." And in my head I thought, "This lady is bat shit crazy."

And afterwards, I saw UUs approaching this lady and showing her compassion, expressing concern.

I'm not saying that this behavior isn't found in the Mormon Church; I'm saying that I've been blessed and have grown in this compassionate environment. Many have made a special effort to remember my name, visit with me after service or involve me in activities.

I just want to say that the UU church fills my soul. I find happiness there every Sunday. And I leave feeling sane again, and able to tackle a new week. That's what I think church is all about.